The 5 Best—and the 5 Worst—Apologies in Recent History

The 5 Best Apologies

Hugh Grant

The rising star was fresh off Four Weddings and a Funeral when he was nabbed with a prostitute in Los Angeles. He swiftly (and gamely) apologized on Tonight Show with Jay Leno, a move widely credited with saving his career. It boosted Leno's, too: he topped Dave in the ratings that night and never looked back.

David Letterman

First, he beat the news media to the punch when an alleged extorter tried to blackmail him over a sex scandal. Even better: made jokes about himself before anyone else could. But Dezenhall points out: "It was beautiful, but remember, he was a victim." Being on the side of the law is always good for sympathy points.

Richard Nixon

His folksy 1952 "Checkers Speech," apologizing for campaign contributions as a California Senator, is taught in universities as an example of effective, personal communication by a politician. Unfortunately, Watergate is also taught in universities.

David Neeleman

Jet Blue founder/CEO won praise for accepting blame and offering refunds to customers in 2007 after delays and scheduling snafus resulted in scores of cancellations and stranded passengers. Used crisis to announce a "Passenger's Bill of Rights" and restore plucky Jet Blue's reputation as a user-friendly airline.

Jason Giambi

The best steroids apology was also the vaguest. "I let down the fans. I let down the media. I let down the Yankees," Giambi said in 2005 shortly after leaked grand jury testimony implicated him in baseball's steroid scandal. Though Giambi never officially copped to PED use, he'd said more than any slugger ever had and unlike accused stars like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, the public let him move on.

The 5 Worst Apologies

Jimmy Swaggart

Is he still sobbing? The televangelist's teary apology for hiring prostitutes—"I have sinned against you, my Lord"—set a new standard for overwrought emotion and is still highly entertaining on YouTube. Three years later, he was popped again with a call girl. His apology? "The Lord told me it's flat none of your business." We like that one better.

Mel Gibson

Anti-Semitic remarks after a Malibu DUI stop initially led to a murky statement that apologized for saying "despicable" things. Several days later, Gibson followed with a more specific apology to the Jewish community for his "vitriolic" remarks. He followed that up with an uncomfortable interview with Diane Sawyer in which he apologized for the "stupid ramblings of a drunkard." He has not followed up with Lethal Weapon 5.

Michael Richards

After a racially charged meltdown was caught on YouTube, the quirky Seinfeld star tried to recover by having Jerry speak up for him on Letterman while Richards himself joined via satellite. Jerry was charming and effective. Richards looked like he was sitting at Guantanamo Bay. His recent spoof of his freak-out on Curb Your Enthusiasm was far more effective.

Allen Iverson

Practice? The embattled NBA star tried to clear the air with Philadelphia 76ers coach Larry Brown but ended up digging a bigger hole when he petulantly insisted that practicing doesn't matter. But time does heal wounds: A.I. is back with the Sirs after a Magical Mystery Tour through three other NBA teams.

John Edwards

He initially seemed to have internalized the frat boys' code: "Deny till you die." That's an effective policy—if the National Enquirer hasn't been tailing you. Edwards finally issued an apology that acknowledged an affair with a staffer. But when Edwards said, "Being 99 percent honest is no longer enough," it sounded more like a complaint than a confession.

The rising star was fresh off Four Weddings and a Funeral when he was nabbed with a prostitute in Los Angeles. He swiftly (and gamely) apologized on Tonight Show with Jay Leno, a move widely credited with saving his career. It boosted Leno's, too: he topped Dave in the ratings that night and never looked back.